Ring Battery Doorbell review: Easy, flexible, priced right

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Ring offers one of the best smart home security ecosystems on the market, encompassing everything from security cameras and video doorbells to indoor and outdoor lighting, sensors, and professionally monitored home security systems. The flexible Ring Battery Doorbell, introduced late last year, makes for a great introduction to that ecosystem.

But that recommendation comes with a caveat: You’ll need to sign up for a Ring Home subscription if you want to unlock all this product’s features—and that includes the ability to record video. Without one, you’ll receive notifications when someone rings your doorbell, but you’ll only be able to get a live view of what’s happening in front of its camera.

I’m going to assume you know that already, so I’ll explain how much those subscriptions cost and what they include until later. First, let’s discuss the Ring Battery Doorbell’s features and performance.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 4.98 x 2.44 x 0.91 inches (HxWxD) (6.19 x 2.30 x 12.65 cm)
• Build materials: Primarily plastic
• Camera resolution: 1440 x 1440 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
• Camera field of view: 150 degrees horizontal x 150 degrees vertical
• Color night vision
• Audio: 2-way, with noise cancellation
• Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz only
• Operating conditions: -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 122F (-20 to 50 degrees C)
• Power options: Non-removable rechargeable battery, or a conventional doorbell transformer and low-voltage wiring (8-24 VAC, 40VA max, 50/60Hz)

Design and feature set

Michael Brown/Foundry

Ring’s least expensive video doorbell replaces the Ring Video Doorbell (2^nd Generation) we reviewed in September 2020. It carries a suggested retail price of $99.99, but it was discounted to just $59.99 at the time of this review. That low street price puts it in the realm of many bargain-priced doorbells with far fewer features. That said, you’ll still need to accept some compromises. Chief among these is the fact that you’ll need to remove the doorbell from its mount to charge its battery—if, that is, you’re running it on battery power.

Unlike some battery-powered door-priced doorbells, you can opt to connect the Ring Doorbell Battery to a conventional doorbell transformer using low-voltage wiring (8-24 volts AC, 40VA max, 50/60Hz). Power it that way, and its onboard battery will automatically kick in should your home experience a power outage. I went with the battery option and found the doorbell exceedingly easy to install and configure. The Ring app steps you through the entire process and provides helpful tips along the way. Be aware that if you need to offset the doorbell’s viewing angle with a wedge because of your home’s siding, you’ll need to purchase that accessory separately.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best video doorbells.

The doorbell measures 4.98 x 2.44 x 0.91 inches (HxWxD), dimensions that are generally unremarkable apart from the distance it sticks out from your wall. It’s available in your choice of two colors: satin nickel or Venetian bronze, but don’t let those metallic descriptions fool you, the device is nearly entirely fabricated from plastic—as those of its ilk tend to be.

Michael Brown/Foundry

The Ring Battery Doorbell’s face is dominated by a microphone and camera lens above a doorbell button, the latter of which is surrounded by an LED light ring that glows blue and spins when a visitor pushes the button. A chime inside the doorbell will also sound, but in the absence of other Ring or Amazon products, the only place you’ll get a notification is on your smartphone.

Enable Ring’s Doorbell Calls feature (subscription required) and the doorbell will call your smartphone so you can see and speak with your visitor. Or if you’d rather, enabling Ring’s Smart Reponses feature will have the doorbell automatically play a pre-recorded message when someone presses the doorbell button. This option, which also requires a subscription, also allows your visitor to leave their own message for you.

Michael Brown/Foundry

You can purchase a Ring Chime ($35) that you’ll plug into an AC outlet inside your home, and that device will also sound off when the doorbell detects motion or someone rings its bell. The step-up Ring Chime Pro ($60) adds an onboard nightlight and a dual-band Wi-Fi range extender to the mix. Note that many budget-priced video doorbells include this type of accessory in the price of the doorbell itself.

If you have one or more Amazon Echo smart speakers or displays in your home, those devices are even more useful than either Chime model. They’ll make the same announcements, and Amazon Show smart displays will automatically switch to a view from the camera to show your visitor. Should you choose, you can initiate a conversation with that person using either an Echo Show or your smartphone (with the latter offering that benefit even if you’re away from home).

Michael Brown/Foundry

While you can integrate the Ring Battery Doorbell into an IFTTT setup, it is not compatible with Google Home, and it can’t be integrated into the Apple Home ecosystem, either.

You can add up to three irregularly shaped motion detection zones, and the doorbell will ignore motion that occurs outside those zones. You can use these zones to prevent swaying trees or shrubs in view of the doorbell camera from triggering unwanted motion alerts or recordings. You can also add up to two square or rectangular privacy zones to block the camera from streaming or recording video. This is useful for ensuring your neighbor’s privacy by blocking views of their doors, windows, gates, or walkways.  

Ring Battery Doorbell performance